Manifolding attachment for typewriters



June. 18, 1940. A. B. COOKE MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS 2 Sheets-Sheei 1 Filed April 3, 1939 @Zs. v

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June 18, 1940. A. B. COOKE IANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS Patented June 18, 1940 PATENT OFFICE MANIFOLDING ATTAGHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS Allen B. Cooke, Chicago, Ill., assignor to United Autographic Register 00., a corporation of Iilinois Application April 3, 1939, Seriall No. 265,854 5 Claims. (Cl. 197-126) This invention relates to adapters for typewriters having an upwardly movable platen, to facilitate the handling of carbon slips in connection with continuous-form stationery, and more particularly to an improved typewriter attachment having an extensible frame supported on a rail provided in the rear of the typewriterso that the attachment will travel laterally with the platen carriage and will be rocked by the platen about said track as a fulcrum.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, light attachment which may be readily attached to the platen carriage of a typewriter and has' a latch which is thrown to operative or inoperative position with the upward movement of the platen.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tiltable typewriter attachment which is fulcrumed about a point in rear of the typewriter, so that when the platen is down in its normal writing position, the extensible frame will tend to move forwardly with the stationery under the;

influence of gravity, and when the platen is raised to strip the carbon into the next succeeding set of forms, the frame will be tilted backwardly so that the carbon holder will tend to travel rearwardly under the influence of gravity to a locked position.

The present invention is an improvement over the device shown in Jensen Patent No. 2,109,293, issued February 22, 1938.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the attachment mounted on a typewriting machine which is shown brokenly, the dotted lines indicating the elevated position of the device when the platen is raised; Figure 2 is a broken plan view ofth'e device and supporting track with the stationery and carbon removed; andFigure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken as indicated at line it of Figure 2.

In the embodiment illustrated, A designates a supporting frame; B, an extension frame slidably mounted for forward and rearward movement on the frame A; C, a carbon holder. adjustably mounted on the frame B; and D, a latching device forthe frame B. a

The device may be adapted for use on any typewriting machine 3 having a transversely shiftable carriage 5 with an upwardly-movable platen. The typewriter carriage is shown with a fixed cross-bar 6 on which the front end of the attachment is saddled, and the carriage has a with a roller 27 to travel in the track.

The supporting frame A is shown with a longitudinally extending plate it provided with a slot !2. A pair of curved slotted saddle members 53 is secured to the front end of the plate ii, and a forwardly extending pair of yoke members Ml is also secured to the plate l I, so that to attach the device it is merely necessary to slip the yoke members over the bar i and slip the saddle members over the bar 6. A downwardly extending bracket 45 is provided with a roller it which travels on the track 8 and supports the attachment. The bifurcated members it serve also as lateral guides for stationery passing over the attachment to the platen.

A pair of longitudinally extending angle bars ii is spot welded to the lower side of the support-.

' gular sheet metal frame it and is equipped at its front end with grooved rollers 25 which travel on the outer edge portions of the plate ii. The rear end of the frame has a, guide yoke member as which straddles the track l9 and is equipped As best shown in Figure 3, the front end of the extension carriage is provided with a stud 28 which limits the travel of the frame in the slot H2. The frame is further provided with a downwardly extending stud 23a which cooperates with the latching bar D, as will be explained below.

The carbon holder C is of known construction and comprises a transverse plate 29 having a pair of downwardly extending studs 30 which is adapted to project through any transverse pair of apertures 3i provided in the frame 2 3. The weight of the device is usually sufllcient to hold the carbon holder in its adjusted position, but, if

is; I

The rear end of the plate is rounded, as indicated at 32, to form a guide member for the stationery. The carbon holder has a pair of upwardly extending studs 33 for loosely impaling carbon holding latches 34 in the manner shown inJensenPatentNo. 2,000,641. Upward movement of the blades is limited by a pivoted bail 35, in the well known manner. A pair of guide fingers 36 is adjustably mounted in slots 3'! to keep the stationery in lateral alignment.

The latching bar D is best shown in Figure 3 and'comprises a pair of bars 38 which is pivotally mounted in the housing I8, as indicated at 39. The front ends of me bars 38 are joined, as indicated at 40, and the rear end is joined, as indicated at 41. A cam like strip 42 is fastened between the rear ends of the bars 38 and forms an inclined surface which bears against thestud 29 when the extensible carriage is moved to its rearmost position. As the pivot 39 is back of the center of the bars, there is a tendency for the rear end portion 4| to be urged upwardly and thereby latch the extension carriage in its rearmost position. However, when the platen carriage of the typewriter 5 is down in the position shown in Figure 5, a slotted portion 33 rests on the cross-bar 6 and holds the latch member in released position. Thus, it will be understood that when the platen carriage is raised and the extension frame permitted to roll rearwardly, it will automatically become locked in its rearmost position. However, when the platen carriage is lowered, the bar 6 will engage the latch bar and release the extension carriage for forward movement.

The track 8 is positioned so that when the platen carriage is in its normal writing position, as illustrated in Figure 1, the plate II will be inclined downwardly and forwardly. However, when the platen carriage is raised to the position indicated in Figure 3, and by the dotted lines in Figure 1, the device will be inclined downwardly and rearwardly. It may be noted in this connection that the device is tilted about the track 8. When the platen is raised, the slots in the saddle members l3, which are engaged by the cross-bar 6, permit the front end of the device to be raised by the cross-bar 1. The tilting action is useful in either the upper or lower position. tilted upwardly, it is desired to move the stationery rearwardly and gravity assists in this movement. On the other hand, when the device is lowered to writing position, the latch is released, and gravity helps to permit forward movement of the stationery and interleaved carbon.

The device is adapted to use ordinary continuous-form stationery or fanfold stationery. The stationery is led up over the rear of the device and the carbon is interleaved and attached to the bars 34 of the carbon holder. The front ends of the stationery are threaded between the platen and presser rolls, and, as the platen advances the stationery, the carbons and stationery roll forwardly. After a form has been filled in, the platen is raised to release the stationery and permit the carbon holder to move back into latched position. The completed set of forms may then be drawn forwardly, stripping the car- When the front end of the device is bon into the next succeeding set of forms, and be detached. The platen is then lowered and the next set of forms fed into writing position. This movement releases the carbon holder for forward movement.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A manifolding attachment for a typewriter having a rearwardly disposed transverse track and a laterally shiftable carriage in which is journalled an upwardly movable platen, comprising: a supporting frame attached to parts of the carriage so as to shift laterally therewith and the front end to move upwardly and downwardly with the platen; a fulcrum on said frame with antifriction means for supporting the rear portion of the frame on said track and disposed so that when the platen is raised the rear end of said frame will be lowered; a carbon holder slidably mounted for limited forward and rearward movement on the supporting frame; and locking means automatically effective to lock said carbon holder in aposition back of said fulcrum when the platen is raised.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the carbon holder has a projection and the locking means comprises a trigger member pivotally supported on the supporting frame and has on its rear end a latch to engage said projection, said trigger member having an inclined face adapted, when the platen is raised, to bear against and be depressed by the projection on the carbon holder while said carbon holder is being slid rearwardly to said extended position.

3. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the front end of said supporting frame is equipped with bifurcated attaching members disposed so as to engage cross rods on the platen carriage and maintain connection therewith by gravity.

4. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the locking means comprises a latch lever pivotally connected to the supporting frame in rear of the lever center of gravity so as to be urged by gravity into locking engagement with the carbon holder when the platen is in elevated position, and the front end of said lever being disposed so as to engage part of the carriage and release the carbon holder when the platen is lowered.

5. A manifolding attachment for a typewriter having a platen carriage in which is journalled ALLEN B. COOKE. 

